The Malay Mail, Malaysia’s oldest newspaper, just published “Time Malaysia takes Israel to the ICJ for genocide based on Genocide Convention” by Syed Hamid Albar, who has served as both foreign minister and defense minister.

FRANCIS BOYLE, fboyle@illinois.edu
Boyle is professor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law.

He said today: “The U.S. veto of a ceasefire resolution at the UN Security Council highlights its incredible isolation in outright supporting Israel’s carnage in Gaza and it’s certainly significant that 153 countries voted for the ceasefire in the General Assembly on Tuesday.

“But the UN system is failing in its professed goal of preserving peace and security. There are concrete steps these 153 nations should take immediately:

“The Genocide Convention calls on nations to ‘prevent’ genocide. Yet, no nation has invoked it at the International Court of Justice — even nations which have called Israel’s actions ‘genocide.'” See “They Call It ‘Genocide’ — But Don’t Invoke the Genocide Convention” by IPA Senior Analyst Sam Husseini.

Boyle, who represented Bosnia in its victory at the ICJ, continued: “Going to the ICJ, also known as the World Court, is especially urgent given that the International Criminal Court has effectively become an instrument of U.S. policy and will not lift a finger to help the Palesitnians.

“Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres took far too long to invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter. He should now call what Israel is doing ‘genocide.’

“The UN General Assembly can suspend Israel from participation in its activities as it did for South Africa and Yugoslavia. It can admit Palestine as a full member. And it can establish a tribunal to prosecute individuals.”

Boyle’s books include The Bosnian People Charge Genocide (1996) Palestine, Palestinians and International Law (2009) and World Politics, Human Rights and International Law (2021). Listen to a recent interview with Boyle on “Flashpoints” with Dennis Bernstein.

Also see “Stopping Genocide” by Craig Murray, and the brief video “States Must Invoke the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice” by international lawyer Daniel Machover.

Correction: Due to an editing error by IPA the sentence “The UN General Assembly can suspend Israel from participation in its activities as it did for South Africa and Yugoslavia” was incorrectly published as “The UN General Assembly can suspend Israel’s membership in the UN, as it did for South Africa and Yugoslavia.” It has now been corrected.